Julia Janzen

With all the worries of what’s happening with our economy and how it may impact us I keep waiting to hear from President Obama and wondering what can I do to make some sort of impact and perhaps help not only my family but others. Tonight my answer came to me! I was reading on the Pesticide Action Networks website about how Eleanor Roosevelt encouraged citizens to plant a “Victory Garden” during World War II and how successful it was. It just dawned on me that this might actually be something I not only can do but would LOVE to do! Most of our backyard is concrete and we have a small front yard but I am going to see how much of our food I can grow this summer. I also would love to start a little community online of people who have “Victory Gardens” but I want to call them something else. I’ll sleep on it until it comes to me. I’m less enthusiastic about victory and much more inclined to be motivated by something hopeful. So weather permitting tomorrow I will go and take some photos of our yard areas and then start posting some of them. Then make a list of the foods that we like to eat and what might be good planting choices for our climate and space allowances.

I’ll start out with the planning and then do the major cleaning up of the yards (which I may need some help with *wink *wink husband and/or day labor?) My hope is that there will not only be enough food to eat and be canned but there will be enough leftover to share with neighbors, friends, & my favorite charity Sacramento Loaves & Fishes

If you are interested in planting a Victory Garden please let me know! If enough people are interested I will put together a message board where we can share ideas and photos of our work and crops. In fact maybe we could even do something as fun as have a contest to see who could grow the most food in relation to the size of planting space.

I haven’t been excited about much of anything lately and now I’m feeling kind of rejuvenated just at thinking about this project. I hope others are as excited as myself. The other hope I have is that in doing this somehow I will reclaim my physical and spiritual self that has been completely shut down for, oh let’s say, the last 8 years! I feel like we really can believe in our country again and good can come to us. I’m happy that Obama is President but I’m even happier that there were so many Americans that came together to make his Presidency possible. We need to take that energy and move ourselves forward toward making our country the type of home that it really can be.

Here’s one of the articles that inspired me: “Bringing Back The Backyard Garden”
and another website of a family that is a complete inspiration to any backyard gardener: The Dervaes Family

Thanks for reading and please comment if you have any input!

Julia